A group of three alumni from the School of Architecture has won the Young Architect of the Year Award. The prestigious award recognises the most promising architectural practice from across Europe, with the category being open to fully qualified architects who have been registered to practise for under 12 years.

David Ayre and Matthew Chamberlain set up their practice shortly after completing their studies at the University of Portsmouth, where they undertook undergraduate degrees and Postgraduate Diplomas in Architecture. Together with Dominic Gaunt, a graduate of Cardiff University, they created Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt, now a successful practice based in Basingstoke, North Hampshire.

One of their early projects, the development of ‘Third Space,’ an area in the Students’ Union for studying, was undertaken while teaching at the University. Since then they have gone from strength to strength and have developed a strong client base and a thriving business, but they still remember their roots and founding principles from their university years.

David Ayre, one of the directors, said: “At Portsmouth we had fantastic support from our tutors and it was great to be able to continue our involvement with the School of Architecture through tutoring, lecturing and mentoring. At Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt our ethos is based on building a strong team and supporting everyone who joins us.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award. It really is more than we expected for what is still a young practice. The recognition from the industry is fantastic and will open up doors to new opportunities.

“We have been so lucky to have pulled together such a talented team, many of whom are University of Portsmouth alumni, including our Associate Director, Oliver Wood. Eight of our current staff graduated from Portsmouth and we are very proud of our association with the University.”

All the Directors have worked as part-time studio tutors at their former University and while their business is now taking up a lot of time, they maintain links and continue to visit wherever possible and give lectures.

David Ayre, Matthew Chamberlain, Dominic Gaunt and Oliver Wood collected the award at a ceremony in London last week. The team was also shortlisted from 15 finalists for The Schueco Gold Award which is presented to the practice that has made the most significant contribution to British architecture over the past year. David said: “It’s the award for the best of the best and it’s the one we’re aiming for next year!”

The practice is looking to continue its growth and will be on the lookout for talented graduates later this summer. A new office in central London is also planned.

The 14th BD Architect of the Year Awards took place on Wednesday 8 March 2017 at ExCeL, London.

News in brief

Domestic Desires
September 20

Deborah Sugg Ryan, Professor of Design History and Theory and Associate Dean (Research) in CCI, is giving a talk at the Royal Academy of Arts next month.

Professor Sugg Ryan will be speaking at 'Domestic Desires' which is part of the 'Home Sweet Home' series of events on Monday 16 October. The event takes a closer look at the impact mass media has had on domestic spaces.

Dr Ann Coats will lead a second walk to trace Portsea’s lost heritage on Saturday 23 September from 10.00am to 12.30pm. The walk starts at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Gate on The Hard and finishes at St John the Evangelist RC Cathedral.

Following the Dockyard Wall, the route shall locate the vanished sites of Brickwood’s Brewery, the Daniel Street Chapel, St John’s Church and St John’s RC chapel. Three streets: Marlborough Row, Gloucester Street and Frederick Street were taken into the Dockyard in 1944. What do street names - Queen Street, Bonfire Corner, Prince George Street - tell us about Portsea’s history? Why was North Street a Ropewalk?

The walk is free and open to all. It is part of a University of Portsmouth community engagement project. Book your free ticket here.

Brunel Science Lecture
September 11

Professor Mike Tipton will deliver the Brunel Science Lecture at Portsmouth Grammar School on Wednesday 20 September. Professor Tipton has spent over 35 years researching and advising the military, industry and elite sports people in the areas of thermoregulation, environmental and occupational physiology and survival in the sea. His lecture commences at 7.30 pm in the Bristow Clavell Lecture Theatre, please click here to book your free ticket.

Smart cities research
September 04

Researchers from PBS have given their latest insights into research on smart cities as part of the PERCEIVE project, which aims to explore how much citizens feel European.

Smart cities projects have increased their popularity worldwide since their very first implementation. But how and to what extent have they expanded in the European Union? On which topics they have been focusing on?